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What is American Halloween (Hallow's Eve)?
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| Scare away the bad spirits with spooky items. |
It is at the beginning of the observance of Allhallowtide [11], the time in the Christian liturgical year dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints ("hallows"), martyrs, and all the faithful departed (souls) [3][12][13].
In popular culture, Halloween has become a celebration of horror and is associated with the macabre and the supernatural [12][14], the gory, gruesome, magical, and morbid.
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| It's time for some divination games. |
Some theories go further and suggest that Samhain may have been Christianized as All Hallows' Day, along with its eve, by the Church [19][1][20].
Other academics say Halloween began independently as a Christian holiday, being the vigil of All Hallows' Day [21][22][23][24].
Celebrated in Ireland and Scotland for centuries, Irish and Scottish immigrants brought many Halloween customs to North America in the 19th century [25][26]. Then, through American influence, various Halloween customs spread to other countries by the late 20th and early 21st century [14][27].
Popular activities during Halloween include
- trick-or-treating (or the related guising and souling),
- attending gaily feted costume parties,
- carving pumpkins and turnips into spooky jack-o'-lanterns,
- lighting bonfires,
- apple bobbing,
- divination games,
- playing pranks,
- visiting haunted houses and attractions,
- telling frightening stories, and
- watching horror flicks and Halloween-themed films [28].
Some Christians practice the observances of All Hallows' Eve, including attending church services and lighting candles on the graves of the dead [29][30][31], although it is a secular [32][33][34] or even demonic and Satanic celebration for others.
Historically, many Christians abstained from meat on All Hallows' Eve, a tradition reflected in the eating of traditional vegetarian foods on this day, including apples, potato pancakes, and soul cakes [35][36][37][38]. More
